Cat rescue hopes for nine lives in efforts to increase adoptions

January 10, 2011|Stephen Feller sfeller@tribune.com

Stan Peters of Fort Lauderdale drops off a bag or two of cat food anytime he's near Cats Exclusive, a nonprofit adoption center and veterinary practice in Margate, simply because he is a fan of their work.

The center had a daylong holiday adoption event on Dec. 22 in an effort to find homes for some of their orphaned animals before Christmas.

Cats Exclusive was founded in 1979 with the mission of treating, spaying or neutering, and finding homes for cats in the area, said Destiny Marin, director of adoptions at the center.

"We're trying to do as many fundraising and adoption events as possible," Marin said while working on the adoption papers for Peters' fifth pet. "We've always got 50 or 60 available."

Peters said he is especially a fan of the organization because of the way they treat the animals and that, unlike county and other facilities, they don't euthanize.

"The fact that they keep animals until they're adopted means a lot to me," Peters said. "[My wife and I] are very fond of the organization."

Peters said he and his wife, Jennifer, discovered Cats Exclusive in 1998 while living Pompano Beach and adopted their first cat there. Ever since, they have tried to contribute, and even have brought their pets there for treatment at the veterinary office.

Rachelle Ickovic, a local cat rescuer and employee at a veterinary hospital in Lauderhill, stopped by to check on Butterscotch, a kitten she found and brought to Cats Exclusive.

"Besides the Humane Society, this is the best," Ickovic said. "This is important because cats can reproduce up to nine times a year and all the cats are spayed and neutered here."

Ickovic and Carol Velletri, who works with Ickovic at the hospital and is also a rescuer, said they stopped at the adoption event to see how it was going because of the relationship they have with the organization.

With about a dozen potential adopters stopping by during the day, Marin said she hopes to raise awareness for the bi-monthly events they already have at area pet stores and events they are planning at the Cats Exclusive office in Margate.

She said several of the events are already planned for the first few months of 2011 and hopefully they'll be able to help an increasing number of animals as the new year rolls on.

"They all have their own personalities," Marin said. "We're trying to match them up with the right families and adopt out as many as we can."